Chicken Birria Tacos

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Chicken birria tacos are a simplified riff that incorporates traditional birria flavors but substitutes chicken in place of beef or red meat.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Author: Shawn Williams

Ingredients

Chicken birria

2-3 pounds chicken breast
6 guajillo chiles stemmed/seeded (2oz)
5 ancho chiles stemmed/seeded (2oz)
3 árbol chiles stemmed (optional, did not use)
3 roma tomatoes
½ large white onion
3 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or Mexican cinnamon (steeped with peppers and blended)
1 teaspoon whole or cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican or reg
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cloves
oil for searing/frying

Tacos

Corn tortillas
Shredded Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or Mozzarella cheese
Diced white onion
Chopped cilantro
Limes

Instructions

Add the dried chiles, halved white onion, and tomatoes in a Dutch oven or large lidded pot (if using Mexican cinnamon, add it now). Fill to cover with cold water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain peppers/onion/tomatoes from the liquid and add to a blender with all spices, cinnamon, salt, pepper, garlic, broth, and vinegar. Blend for 2 minutes or until smooth. You can optionally fine strain afterwards to remove any solids. Add more salt to taste as needed.
Season chicken liberally with salt. Heat a generous splash of oil in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side. Pour the sauce (consomé) over the chicken. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temp of 165°F.
Remove chicken and add to a bowl. Finely shred and top with extra sauce to taste. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or pan. Dip the tortillas in the top of the consomé (ideally soaking up the fatty top layer) and sear in the skillet/pan. Top half with cheese, shredded chicken, more cheese, fold over, and flip. Sear until crisp and store in oven at low heat as you prepare the rest.
Serve with a side of consomé topped with chopped onion and cilantro for dipping.

Notes

These tacos are best fried in a hot cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan with oil. A non-stick pan will work as well. I typically fry 1-2 tacos at a time and eat them on demand!

If making multiple tacos in batches, store finished tacos on a baking sheet in the oven at a low temp to keep warm.

You will likely need extra oil to help fry/crisp the tortillas. Chicken is much leaner than typical beef used in this recipe. The consomé will likely not contain enough fat floating on the surface required to crisp.

Build and layer the tacos right in the skillet with cheese, shredded chicken, white onion, cilantro, and more cheese. Fold, sear, and press down with a spatula until golden and crispy on both sides. Flipping usually helps.

Nutrition